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The Constitution of Ireland, 1937, Articles 31-50
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Page Compiled: Fionnuala McKenna
THE COUNCIL OF STATE
Article 31.
| 1. | There shall be a Council of State to aid and counsel the President on all matters on which the President may consult the said Council in relation to the exercise and performance by him of such of his powers and functions as are by this Constitution expressed to be exercisable and performable after consultation with the Council of State, and to exercise such other functions as are conferred on the said Council by this Constitution.
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| 2. | The Council of State shall consist of the following members:
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| i. | As ex-officio members: the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Chief Justice, the President of the High Court, the Chairman of Dáil Éireann, the Chairman of Seanad Éireann, and the Attorney General.
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| ii. | Every person able and willing to act as a member of the Council of State who shall have held the office of President, or the office of Taoiseach, or the office of Chief Justice, or the office of President of the Executive Council of Saorstát Éireann.
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| iii. | Such other persons, if any, as may be appointed by the President under this Article to be members of the Council of State.
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| 3. | The President may at any time and from time to time by warrant under his hand and Seal appoint such other persons as, in his absolute discretion, he may think fit, to be members of the Council of State, but not more than seven persons so appointed shall be members of the Council of State at the same time.
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| 4. | Every member of the Council of State shall at the first meeting thereof which he attends as a member take and subscribe a declaration in the following form:
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| | "In the presence of Almighty God I, , do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as a member of the Council of State."
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| 5. | Every member of the Council of State appointed by the President, unless he previously dies, resigns, becomes permanently incapacitated, or is removed from office, shall hold office until the successor of the President by whom he was appointed shall have entered upon his office.
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| 6. | Any member of the Council of State appointed by the President may resign from office by placing his resignation in the hands of the President.
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| 7. | The President may, for reasons which to him seem sufficient, by an order under his hand and Seal, terminate the appointment of any member of the Council of State appointed by him.
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| 8. | Meetings of the Council of State may be convened by the President at such times and places as he shall determine.
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Article 32.
The President shall not exercise or perform any of the powers
or functions which are by this Constitution expressed to beexercisable
or performable by him after consultation with the Council of State
unless, and on every occasion before so doing, he shall have convened a meeting of the Council of State and the
members present at such meeting shall have been heard by him.
THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL
Article 33.
| 1. | There shall be a Comptroller and Auditor General to control on behalf of the State all disbursements and to audit all accounts of moneys administered by or under the authority of the Oireachtas.
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| 2. | The Comptroller and Auditor General shall be appointed by the President on the nomination of Dáil Éireann.
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| 3. | The Comptroller and Auditor General shall not be a member of either House of the Oireachtas and shall not hold any other office or position of emolument.
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| 4. | The Comptroller and Auditor General shall report to Dáil Éireann at stated periods as determined by law.
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| 5. | 1. | The Comptroller and Auditor General shall not be removed from office except for stated misbehaviour or incapacity, and then only upon resolutions passed by Dáil Éireann and by Seanad Éireann calling for his removal.
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| 2. | The Taoiseach shall duly notify the President of any such resolutions as aforesaid passed by Dáil Éireann and by Seanad Éireann and shall send him a copy of each such resolution certified by the Chairman of the House of the Oireachtas by which it shall have been passed.
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| 3. | Upon receipt of such notification and of copies of such resolutions, the President shall forthwith, by an order under his hand and Seal, remove the Comptroller and Auditor General from office.
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| 6. | Subject to the foregoing, the terms and conditions of the office of Comptroller and Auditor General shall be determined by law.
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THE COURTS
Article 34.
| 1. | Justice shall be administered in courts established by law by judges appointed in the manner provided by this Constitution, and, save in such special and limited cases as may be prescribed by law, shall be administered in public.
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| 2. | The Courts shall comprise Courts of First Instance and a Court of Final Appeal.
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| 3. | 1. | The Courts of First Instance shall include a High Court invested with full original jurisdiction in and power to determine all matters and questions whether of law or fact, civil or criminal.
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| 2. | Save as otherwise provided by this Article, the jurisdiction of the High Court shall extend to the question of the validity of any law having regard to the provisions of this Constitution, and no such question shall be raised (whether by pleading, argument or otherwise) in any Court established under this or any other Article of this Constitution other than the High Court or the Supreme Court.
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| 3. | No Court whatever shall have jurisdiction to question the validity of a law, or any provision of a law, the Bill for which shall have been referred to the Supreme Court by the President under Article 26 of this Constitution, or to question the validity of a provision of a law where the corresponding provision in the Bill for such law shall have been referred to the Supreme Court by the President under the said Article 26.
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| 4. | The Courts of First Instance shall also include Courts of local and limited jurisdiction with a right of appeal as determined by law.
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| 4. | 1. | The Court of Final Appeal shall be called the Supreme Court.
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| 2. | The president of the Supreme Court shall be called the Chief Justice.
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| 3. | The Supreme Court shall, with such exceptions and subject to such regulations as may be prescribed by law, have appellate jurisdiction from all decisions of the High Court, and shall also have appellate jurisdiction from such decisions of other courts as may be prescribed by law.
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| 4. | No law shall be enacted excepting from the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court cases which involve questions as to the validity of any law having regard to the provisions of this Constitution.
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| 5. | The decision of the Supreme Court on a question as to the validity of a law having regard to the provisions of this Constitution shall be pronounced by such one of the judges of that Court as that Court shall direct, and no other opinion on such question, whether assenting or dissenting, shall be pronounced, nor shall the existence of any such other opinion be disclosed.
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| 6. | The decision of the Supreme Court shall in all cases be final and conclusive.
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| 5. | 1. | Every person appointed a judge under this Constitution shall make and subscribe the following declaration:
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| | "In the presence of Almighty God I, do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and power execute the office of Chief Justice (or as the case may be) without fear or favour, affection or ill-will towards any man, and that I will uphold the Constitution and the laws. May God direct and sustain me."
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| 2. | This declaration shall be made and subscribed by the Chief Justice in the presence of the President, and by each of the other judges of the Supreme Court, the judges of the High Court and the judges of every other Court in the presence of the Chief Justice or the senior available judge of the Supreme Court in open court.
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| 3. | The declaration shall be made and subscribed by every judge before entering upon his duties as such judge, and in any case not later than ten days after the date of his appointment or such later date as may be determined by the President.
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| 4. | Any judge who declines or neglects to make such declaration as aforesaid shall be deemed to have vacated his office.
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Article 35.
| 1. | The judges of the Supreme Court, the High Court and all other Courts established in pursuance of Article 34 hereof shall be appointed by the President.
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| 2. | All judges shall be independent in the exercise of their judicial functions and subject only to this Constitution and the law.
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| 3. | No judge shall be eligible to be a member of either House of the Oireachtas or to hold any other office or position of emolument.
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| 4. | 1. | A judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court shall not be removed from office except for stated misbehaviour or incapacity, and then only upon resolutions passed by Dáil Éireann and by Seanad Éireann calling for his removal. |
| 2. | The Taoiseach shall duly notify the President of any such resolutions passed by Dáil Éireann and by Seanad Éireann, and shall send him a copy of every such resolution certified by the Chairman of the House of the Oireachtas by which it shall have been passed.
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| 3. | Upon receipt of such notification and of copies of such resolutions, the President shall forthwith, by an order under his hand and Seal, remove from office the judge to whom they relate.
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| 5. | The remuneration of a judge shall not be reduced during his continuance in office.
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Article 36.
| Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Constitution relating to the Courts, the following matters shall be regulated in accordance with law, that is to say:--
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| i. | the number of judges of the Supreme Court, and of the High Court, the remuneration, age of retirement and pensions of such judges,
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| ii. | the number of the judges of all other Courts, and their terms of appointment, and
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| iii. | the constitution and organization of the said Courts, the distribution of jurisdiction and business among the said Courts and judges, and all matters of procedure
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Article 37.
| 1. | Nothing in this Constitution shall operate to invalidate the exercise of limited functions and powers of a judicial nature, in matters other than criminal matters, by any person or body of persons duly authorised by law to exercise such functions and powers, notwithstanding that such person or such body of persons is not a judge or a court appointed or established as such under this Constitution.
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| 2. | No adoption of a person taking effect or expressed to take effect at any time after the coming into operation of this Constitution under laws enacted by the Oireachtas and being an adoption pursuant to an order made or an authorisation given by any person or body of persons designated by those laws to exercise such functions and powers was or shall be invalid by reason only of the fact that such person or body of persons was not a judge or a court appointed or established as such under this Constitution.
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TRIAL OF OFFENCES
Article 38.
| 1. | No person shall be tried on any criminal charge save in due course of law.
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| 2. | Minor offences may be tried by courts of summary jurisdiction.
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| 3. | 1. | Special courts may be established by law for the trial of offences in cases where it may be determined in accordance with such law that the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective the effective administration of justice, and the preservation of public peace and order.
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| 2. | The constitution, powers, jurisdiction and procedure of such special courts shall be prescribed by law.
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| 4. | 1. | Military tribunals may be established for the trial of offences against military law alleged to have been committed by persons while subject to military law and also to deal with a state of war or armed rebellion .
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| 2. | A member of the Defence Forces not on active service shall not be tried by any court martial or other military tribunal for an offence cognisable by the civil courts unless such offence is within the jurisdiction of any court martial or other military tribunal under any law for the enforcement of military discipline.
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| 5. | Save in the case of the trial of offences under section 2, section 3 or section 4 of this Article no person shall be tried on any criminal charge without a jury.
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| 6. | The provisions of Articles 34 and 35 of this Constitution shall not apply to any court or tribunal set up under section 3 or section 4 of this Article.
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Article 39.
Treason shall consist only in levying war against the State, or
assisting any State or person or inciting or conspiring with any
person to levy war against the State, or attempting by force of
arms or other violent means to overthrow the organs of government
established by this Constitution, or taking part or being concerned
in or inciting or conspiring with any person tomake or to take
part or be concerned in any such attempt.
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
Personal Rights.
Article 40.
| 1. | All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law. This shall not be held to mean that the State shall not in its enactments have due regard to differences of capacity, physical and moral, and of social function.
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| 2. | 1. | Titles of nobility shall not be conferred by the State.
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| 2. | No title of nobility or of honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government.
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| 3. | 1. | The State guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate the personal rights of the citizen.
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| 2. | The State shall, in particular, by its laws protect as best it may from unjust attack and, in the case of injustice done, vindicate the life, person, good name, and property rights of every citizen.
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| 3. | The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.
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| | This subsection shall not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.
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| | This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.
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| 4. | 1. | No citizen shall be deprived of his personal liberty save in accordance with law.
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| 2. | Upon complaint being made by or on behalf of any person to the High Court or any judge thereof alleging that such person is being unlawfully detained, the High Court and any and every judge thereof to whom such complaint is made shall forthwith enquire into the said complaint and may order the person in whose custody such person is detained to produce the body of such person before the High Court on a named day and to certify in writing the grounds of his detention, and the High Court shall, upon the body of such person being produced before that Court and after giving the person in whose custody he is detained an opportunity of justifying the detention, order the release of such person from such detention unless satisfied that he is being detained in accordance with the law.
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| 3. | Where the body of a person alleged to be unlawfully detained is produced before the High Court in pursuance of an order in that behalf made under this section and that Court is satisfied that such person is being detained in accordance with a law but that such law is invalid having regard to the provisions of this Constitution, the High Court shall refer the question of the validity of such law to the Supreme Court by way of case stated and may, at the time of such reference or at any time thereafter, allow the said person to be at liberty on such bail and subject to such conditions as the High Court shall fix until the Supreme Court has determined the question so referred to it.
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| 4. | The High Court before which the body of a person alleged to be unlawfully detained is to be produced in pursuance of an order in that behalf made under this section shall, if the President of the High Court or, if he is not available, the senior judge of that Court who is available so directs in respect of any particular case, consist of three judges and shall, in every other case, consist of one judge only.
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| 5. | Where an order is made under this section by the High Court or a judge thereof for the production of the body of a person who is under sentence of death, the High Court or such judge thereof shall further order that the execution of the said sentence of death shall be deferred until after the body of such person has been produced before the High Court and the lawfulness of his detention has been determined and if, after such deferment, the detention of such person is determined to be lawful, the High Court shall appoint a day for the execution of the said sentence of death and that sentence shall have effect with the substitution of the day so appointed for the day originally fixed for the execution thereof.
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| 6. | Nothing in this section, however, shall be invoked to prohibit, control, or interfere with any act of the Defence Forces during the existence of a state of war or armed rebellion.
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| 7. | Provision may be made by law for the refusal of bail by a court to a person charged with a serious offence where it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence by that person.
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| 5. | The dwelling of every citizen is inviolable and shall not be forcibly entered save in accordance with law.
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| 6. | 1. | The State guarantees liberty for the exercise of the following rights, subject to public order and morality:--
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| | i. |
The right of the citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions.
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| | | The education of public opinion being, however, a matter of such grave import to the common good, the State shall endeavour to ensure that organs of public opinion, such as the radio, the press, the cinema, while preserving their rightful liberty of expression, including criticism of Government policy, shall not be used to undermine public order or morality or the authority of the State.
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| | | The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law.
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| | ii. |
The right of the citizens to assemble peaceably and without arms.
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| | | Provision may be made by law to prevent or control meetings which are determined in accordance with law to be calculated to cause a breach of the peace or to be a danger or nuisance to the general public and to prevent or control meetings in the vicinity of either House of the Oireachtas.
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| | iii. |
The right of the citizens to form associations and unions.
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| | | Laws, however, may be enacted for the regulation and control in the public interest of the exercise of the foregoing right.
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| 2. | Laws regulating the manner in which the right of forming associations and unions and the right of free assembly may be exercised shall contain no political, religious or class discrimination.
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The Family.
Article 41.
| 1. | 1. | The State recognises the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.
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| 2. | The State, therefore, guarantees to protect the Family in its constitution and authority, as the necessary basis of social order and as indispensable to the welfare of the Nation and the State.
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| 2. | 1. | In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.
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| 2. | The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.
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| 3. | 1. | The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded, and to protect it against attack.
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| 2. | A Court designated by law may grant of a dissolution of marriage where, but only where, it is satisfied that-
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| | i. |
at the date of the institution of the proceedings, the spouses have lived apart from one another for a period of, or periods amounting to, at least four years during the previous five years,
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| | ii. |
there is no reasonable prospect of a reconciliation between the spouses,
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| | iii. |
such provision as the Court considers proper having regard to the circumstances exists or will be made for the spouses, any children of either or both of them and any other person prescribed by law, and
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| | iv. |
any further conditions prescribed by law are complied with.
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| 3. | No person whose marriage has been dissolved under the civil law of any other State but is a subsisting valid marriage under the law for the time being in force within the jurisdiction of the Government and Parliament established by this Constitution shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage within that jurisdiction during the lifetime of the other party to the marriage so dissolved.
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Education.
Article 42.
| 1. | The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.
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| 2. | Parents shall be free to provide this education in their homes or in private schools or in schools recognised or established by the State.
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| 3. | 1. | The State shall not oblige parents in violation of their conscience and lawful preference to send their children to schools established by the State, or to any particular type of school designated by the State.
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| 2. | The State shall, however, as guardian of the common good, require in view of actual conditions that the children receive a certain minimum education. moral. intellectual and social.
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| 4. | The State shall provide for free primary education and shall endeavour to supplement and give reasonable aid to private and corporate educational initiative, and, when the public good requires it, provide other educational facilities or institutions with due regard, however, for the rights of parents, especially in the matter of religious and moral formation .
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| 5. | In exceptional cases, where the parents for physical or moral reasons fail in their duty towards their children, the State as guardian of the common good, by appropriate means shall endeavour to supply the place of the parents, but always with due regard for the natural and imprescriptible rights of the child.
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Private Property.
Article 43.
| 1. | 1. | The State acknowledges that man, in virtue of his rational being, has the natural right, antecedent to positive law,o the private ownership of external goods.
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| 2. | The State accordingly guarantees to pass no law attempting to abolish the right of private ownership or the general right to transfer, bequeath, and inherit property.
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| 2. | 1. | The State recognises, however, that the exercise of the rights mentioned in the foregoing provisions of this Article ought, in civil society, to be regulated by the principles of social justice.
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| 2. | The State, accordingly, may as occasion requires delimit by law the exercise of the said rights with a view to reconciling their exercise with the exigencies of the common good.
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Religion.
Article 44.
| 1. | The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.
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| 2. | 1. | Freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion are, subject to public order and morality, guaranteed to every citizen.
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| 2. | The State guarantees not to endow any religion.
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| 3. | The State shall not impose any disabilities or make any discrimination on the ground of religious profession, belief or status.
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| 4. | Legislation providing State aid for schools shall not discriminate between schools under the management of different religious denominations, nor be such as to affect prejudicially the right of any child to attend a school receiving public money without attending religious instruction at that school.
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| 5. | Every religious denomination shall have the right to manage its own affairs, own, acquire and administer property, movable and immovable, and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes .
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| 6. | The property of any religious denomination or any educational institution shall not be diverted save for necessary works of public utility and on payment of compensation.
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DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL POLICY
Article 45.
| The principles of social policy set forth in this Article are intended for the general guidance of the Oireachtas. The applicationof those principles in the making of laws shall be the care of the Oireachtas exclusively, and shall not be cognisable by anyCourt under any of the provisions of this Constitution.
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| 1. | The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the whole people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice and charity shall inform all the institutions of the national life.
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| 2. | The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing:--
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| i. | That the citizens (all of whom, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood) may through their occupations find the means of making reasonable provision for their domestic needs.
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| ii. | That the ownership and control of the material resources of the community may be so distributed amongst private individuals and the various classes as best to subserve the common good.
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| iii. | That, especially, the operation of free competition shall not be allowed so to develop as to result in the concentration of the ownership or control of essential commodities in a few individuals to the common detriment.
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| iv. | That in what pertains to the control of credit the constant and predominant aim shall be the welfare of the people as a whole.
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| v. | That there may be established on the land in economic security as many families as in the circumstances shall be practicable.
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| 3. | 1. | The State shall favour and, where necessary, supplement private initiative in industry and commerce.
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| 2. | The State shall endeavour to secure that private enterprise shall be so conducted as to ensure reasonable efficiency in the production and distribution of goods and as to protect the public against unjust exploitation.
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| 4. | 1. | The State pledges itself to safeguard with especial care the economic interests of the weaker sections of the community, and, where necessary, to contribute to the support of the infirm, the widow, the orphan, and the aged.
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| 2. | The State shall endeavour to ensure that the strength and health of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children shall not be abused and that citizens shall not be forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their sex, age or strength.
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AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
Article 46.
| 1. | Any provision of this Constitution may be amended, whether by way of variation, addition, or repeal, in the manner provided by this Article.
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| 2. | Every proposal for an amendment of this Constitution shall be initiated in Dáil Éireann as a Bill, and shall upon having been passed or deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, be submitted by Referendum to the decision of the people in accordance with the law for the time being in force relating to the Referendum.
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| 3. | Every such Bill shall be expressed to be "An Act to amend the Constitution".
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| 4. | A Bill containing a proposal or proposals for the amendment of this Constitution shall not contain any other proposal.
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| 5. | A Bill containing a proposal for the amendment of this Constitution shall be signed by the President forthwith upon his being satisfied that the provisions of this Article have been complied with in respect thereof and that such proposal has been duly approved by the people in accordance with the provisions of section I of Article 47 of this Constitution and shall be duly promulgated by the President as a law.
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THE REFERENDUM
Article 47.
| 1. | Every proposal for an amendment of this Constitution which is submitted by Referendum to the decision of the people shall, for the purpose of Article 46 of this Constitution, be held to have been approved by the people, if, upon having been so submitted, a majority of the votes cast at such Referendum shall have been cast in favour of its enactment into law.
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| 2. | 1. | Every proposal, other than a proposal to amend the Constitution, which is submitted by Referendum to the decision of the people shall be held to have been vetoed by the people if a majority of the votes cast at such Referendum shall have been cast against its enactment into law and if the votes so cast against its enactment into law shall have amounted to not less than thirty-three and one-third per cent. of the voters on the register.
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| 2. | Every proposal, other than a proposal to amend the Constitution, which is submitted by Referendum to the decision of the people shall for the purposes of Article 27 hereof be held to have been approved by the people unless vetoed by them in accordance with the provisions of the foregoing sub-section of this section.
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| 3. | Every citizen who has the right to vote at an election for members of Dáil Éireann shall have the right to vote at a Referendum.
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| 4. | Subject as aforesaid, the Referendum shall be regulated by law.
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REPEAL OF CONSTITUTION OF SAORSTÁT
ÉIREANN AND CONTINUANCE OF LAWS
Article 48.
The Constitution of Saorstát Éireann in force immediately
prior to the date of the coming into operation of this Constitution
andthe Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann)
Act. 1922, in so far as that Act or any provision thereof is then
inforce shall be and are hereby repealed as on and from that date.
Article 49.
| 1. | All powers, functions, rights and prerogatives whatsoever exercisable in or in respect of Saorstát Éireann immediately before the II th day of December, 1936, whether in virtue of the Constitution then in force or otherwise, by the authority in which the executive power of Saorstát Éireann was then vested are hereby declared to belong to the people.
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| 2. | It is hereby enacted that, save to the extent to which provision is made by this Constitution or may hereafter be made by law for the exercise of any such power, function, right or prerogative by any of the organs established by this Constitution, the said powers, functions, rights and prerogatives shall not be exercised or be capable of being exercised in or in respect of the State save only by or on the authority of the Government.
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| 3. | The Government shall be the successors of the Government of Saorstát Éireann as regards all property, assets, rights and liabilities.
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Article 50.
| 1. | Subject to this Constitution and to the extent to which they are not inconsistent therewith, the laws in force in Saorstát Éireann immediately prior to the date of the coming into operation of this Constitution shall continue to be of full force and effect until the same or any of them shall have been repealed or amended by enactment of the Oireachtas.
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| 2. | Laws enacted before, but expressed to come into force after, the coming into operation of this Constitution, shall, unless otherwise enacted by the Oireachtas, come into force in accordance with the terms thereof.
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Dochum Glóire Dé
agus
Onóra na hÉireann.
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